SOUTH BEND —Citing a shortage of officers, the South Bend Police Department announced Thursday it will stop providing officers to both the countywide Metro Homicide Unitand Special Victims Unitstarting next year.
The city’s decisionwilllead to the dissolution of both unitsasthe South Bend, Mishawaka and St. Joseph Countypolice departmentswill investigate major crimes within theirseparatejurisdictions starting Jan. 1.
“We’ve some challenging issues with staffing in our police department and up until this point, we’ve been doing everything we can to keep these units up and running,” said South Bend Mayor James Mueller. “But next year looks to be even more challengingwith retirements.”
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South Bend currently provideseightinvestigatorsto the two units and pays for three additional positions.Mueller said the city offered to pay the salaries of 11 officers without committing the personnel, but that option wasn’t viable for the prosecutor's office.
“This is not an issue of money or commitment; this is an issue of manpower,” Mueller said.
South Bend’s withdrawalwillnot affect the county’s Fatal Crash Team, which investigates serious and fatal crashes, the South Bend Police Department’s SWAT unit, which is made up only of South Bend officers, or the county’s SWAT unit, whichcomprises personnel fromthe county, Mishawaka and Pokagon Tribal Police departments.
In a written statement, South Bend Police Chief Scott Ruszkowskisaid the move will be a “seamless transition” as South Bend officers take on cases in city limits.
“The South Bend Police Department’s commitment to our community will remain the same and will not be negatively affected by this transition,” Ruszkowski said. “The majority of the St. Joseph County Metro Homicide Unit and Special Victims Unit are made up of our detectives and personnel already. All cases will now be ‘in-house’ and the resources of our entire department will be at the disposal of every single victim and their family.”
Ruszkowski was unavailable for an interview Friday, a police department spokeswoman said.
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St. Joseph County Prosecutor Ken Cotterdeclined an interview request from The Tribune on Friday, but said in a written statement released Thursday eveninghe was “saddened” by the city’s decision.
“I am saddened that out of a department of over 200 sworn officers, the City of South Bend will not remain within the multidisciplinary framework and assign eight sworn officers to investigate homicides, sexual child abuse, physical child abuse, rapes, sexual assaults, and serious domestic violence cases,” the statement read in part.
According to the prosecutor’s office, the homicide unit is currently composed of:
- 4South Bend officers (one paid for by South Bend, but hired by the prosecutor)
- 3 St. Joseph County officers
- 1 Mishawaka officer
- 4 command staff hired by the prosecutor
The SVU includes:
- 7 South Bend officers (two paid for by South Bend, but hired by the prosecutor)
- 2 St. Joseph County officers
- 2 Mishawaka officers
- 1 commander hired by the prosecutor
The South Bend Police Department currently has 220 sworn officers, out of a budgeted strength of 243,thoughofficials sayaround one third of the force is eligible for retirementand anticipate a number of officers willretire at the start of next year.The department has added 11 officers in 2021, with eight recruits currently going through training and a couple more in the process of transferring in.
Mueller said the city is open to recommitting officers to special task forces in the county if the department sees a significant increase in personnel.
Separate jurisdictions
Despite the reorganization the city’s announcement brings,local agencies say the change will not affect their ability to investigate major crimes.
“Our officers that had been assigned to metro homicide are very experienced. They know how to handle those types of scenes and witnesses and evidence collection and things of that nature,”St. Joseph County Sheriff Bill Redman said. "Same thing with SVU."
Redman saidcounty officers currently on the special task forces will be reassigned to the county’s detective unit come January and will work normal cases. If there is a homicide or other major crime in the county’s jurisdiction, those officers will be assigned to that case.
Based on discussions among agencies over the past months and years, Redman said, county police have been preparing for the possibility of the homicide and special victims units dissolving.
“I wasn’t totally surprised about it, but I wasn’t expecting it,” he said.
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Harvey Mills, president of the South Bend chapter of the Fraternal Order of Police, said the unionsupportsthe decision to separate from theprosecutor’s office’s task forces.
“As far as the FOP is concerned, we would like those units to remain in place, but we also understand that we’re really short-staffed so we need patrolmen on the streets too,”Millssaid.
Millsaddedthat the investigative process in South Bend won’tchange.
“Our crime scene techs … many of them have done homicide scenes for[the homicide unit]in thepast. They're very well-trained on how to collect evidence, what to collect, the proper collection methods,” Mills said. “I’m not concerned about that whatsoever.”
In an email to The Tribune, Mishawka Police Chief Ken Witkowski said the officers currently with to the special units willreturn to the Mishawaka Police Department, which is in the process of forming its own homicide unit.
“I am confident of a smooth transition regarding the quality of service provided to our community,” Witkowski said.
South Bend police have been a part of the county’sSpecial Crimes Unit since it was created in the early 1990s. In 2003, the St. Joseph County Metro Homicide Unitwas reorganized under Prosecutor Michael Dvorak.
The homicide unit also handled investigations for police shootings, and Mueller said it has not yet been determined how those will be handledstarting next year.
Email Marek Mazurek at mmazurek@sbtinfo.com.
Homicide investigations
2019
- South Bend: 15
- Mishawaka: 0
- St. Joseph County: 3
2020
- South Bend: 29
- Mishawaka: 6
- St. Joseph County: 5
2021
- South Bend: 13
- Mishawaka: 2
- St. Joseph County: 0
- New Carlisle: 1
All data from the St. Joseph County Prosecutor's Office
